Vancouver massage therapist banned from treating female patients due to alleged inappropriate touching

FILE: A massage table is seen in this undated photo. (Shutterstock)

A Vancouver massage therapist has been banned from treating female patients while the regulatory body for the profession investigates allegations of sexual misconduct against him.

The “extraordinary action” placing limits on David St. Loe’s registration went into effect on Wednesday “to protect the public during an investigation,” according to a public notice from the College of Complementary Health Professionals of B.C.

The college says a female patient of St. Loe’s alleged he “conducted himself in a manner that demonstrated a lack of professional judgement and respect for patient boundaries including that he improperly touched potentially sexualized areas of the patient’s body without consent.”

The regulator’s inquiry committee found there are “factors that render the alleged conduct likely to recur,” according to the document.

“Therefore, the panel determined that the public must be protected by an interim order during the investigation, pending any disciplinary hearing,” it reads.

The interim conditions include banning St. Loe from treating female patients and requiring him to post a statement about the prohibition on any online booking pages and treatment rooms. He also must give the college access to his calendar including the name and contact information for each of his patients, and his practice will be subject to random on-site audits.

“Having weighed the different options and the circumstances of this case and having considered the impact on the registrant, the inquiry committee panel concluded that the above-described limits and conditions are proportionate and sufficient to protect the public during the investigation or pending a discipline hearing,” the notice reads.

The allegations have not been proven.